Despite grousing, voters rarely fire lawmakers

Daily Talker

Washington - Congress is wildly unpopular.

       In fact, two thirds of Americans want their own house member booted. In the tea party is dogging longtime Republican lawmakers. So incumbents are sweating out the year’s election, right? Mostly not.

Incumbents rule:

       People talk about throwing the bombs out, what folders keep sending them same bunch back in. More than halfway through the party primaries, space 293 House and Senate members have completed their quest for renomination.

      The score; incumbents 291, challengers 2. Granted, one of those two losses was a shocker. A virtual unknown, Dave Brat, toppled house majority leader Eric Cantor of Virginia in the Republican primary.

Tradition dies hard:

       Two longtime lawmakers - Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi and Democratic Rep, Charles Rangel of New York - verily clung to nominations to their seats Tuesday, But those are exciting are a bit less predictable, but usually more than 80% of incumbents win that draw national attention are misleading. Most of the house candidates, about 60% so far, didn’t have a soul running against him. Only a few faced a challenger who posed a real threat. No senator has been defeated yet. What about November, when Republicans and Democrats face off in the general election?

Snug in their seats:

       It looks to be a dramatic midterm, all right, with Republicans pushing it to seize control of the Senate. More incumbents will be vulnerable in the general election then the primaries, still, the vast majority of serving lawmakers are snug in their seats.

      Over the past five decades, voters have routinely returned 9 of 10 incumbent candidates to the house. Senate races are a bit less predictable. But usually more than 80% of incumbents win.

     Consider 2010, which was a “bad year” for incumbents. A wave of angry voters swept Republicans into the house majority. 58 House members were ousted that here, nearly all of them Democrats. President Barack Obama called it a “shellacking.”

     Yet even in that remarkable midterm, voters rehired 85% of Congress members who were on the ballot. Why do these people keep winning?

It’s harder for challengers to sell themselves to voters, incumbents wield tremendous advantages. They raise big bucks from special interest, using their congressional offices to send folders mass mailings, no ties to businesses and advocacy groups in their districts, and benefit from name recognition. They have staff members back home working to keep constituents happy.

The Associated Press